The ADL is “Upstanders against hate and intolerance around the world,” Samantha Power says, embracing an Israel lobby organization that just slammed her boss, John Kerry
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Monthly Archives: October 2013
Natalie Portman and Woody Allen see anti-Semitism as pervasive
Natalie Portman says it’s dangerous to be a Jew “pretty much everywhere” except LA, NY and Israel. Woody Allen says some critics of Israel are anti-Semitic
Infographic: Where the law stands on Israel’s separation barrier
In the spirit of Halloween, Visualizing Palestine is hoping to scare some sense into people. This infographic is a reminder that the separation barrier is blatantly illegal.
Netanyahu’s sweet deal: 104 prisoners for thousands of settlements
The Israeli right is howling over the release of Palestinian prisoners. But the deal Israel struck earlier this year–releasing prisoners for settlements–is a net-positive from the right-wing’s view. Israel’s gestures to keep the Palestinian Authority at the negotiation table enable the ultra-right government to continue gobbling up the West Bank.
Emergency Committee for Israel bankrolled by pugnacious hedgefund manager (who maybe hit a kid in Cuba)
Vanity Fair hitjob on Dan Loeb is vague about allegation that he struck a Cuban child in 2002, and ignores his extremist support for the Emergency Committee for Israel
Facts on the Ground Peace Index: Volume III
Volume III of the Institute for Middle East Understanding’s “facts on the ground” index tracks new settlement announcements, home demolitions and provocative statements from Israeli officials while the peace process grinds on.
What Comes Next: The musings of a Two-Stater
Horrified by the prospect of another 10, or 50, years of the status quo– with Israeli jails filled with Palestinians separated from their families, periodic intifadas and never ending humiliations at checkpoints and Israel becoming even more of an international outcast– the author, a longtime human rights lawyer, sees the establishment of two states with dignity for both sides as a necessary step toward a future that does not entail ethnic compartmentalization.
A lynching by another name would be a political murder
St Anne’s Warehouse production of Julius Caesar highlights an iconic moment, senators dipping their hands in the dictator’s blood. It recalls the Palestinian actions in Ramallah 10 years ago, which Israel supporters call a lynching
In photos: Euphoria as Ramallah greets prisoners’ release
Allison Deger was in Ramallah earlier today as prisoners released to the West Bank by the Israeli government were greeted at the Palestinian Authority headquarters. The crowd represented a cross-section of Palestinian society, and amid the euphoria, family members held up photographs of others behind bars
What Comes Next: We need the courage to do away with existing institutions, policies, and paradigms
Dinna Omar: “before approving a state – a nation-state – one must also build an internal structure, must create a state of being built on equal footing. This means we need to build institutions, implement policies, and disseminate work that reverses the roles of oppressed and oppressor, the roles of those who are chosen and privileged over those who are un-chosen, beneath, and subjugated.” This post is part of “What Comes Next?: A forum on the end of the two-state paradigm.”
‘I wanted to show Americans what they’re paying for’–Max Blumenthal on why he wrote ‘Goliath’
Max Blumenthal’s “Goliath” is the bluntest book you’ll read about the state of Israeli society, as it looks deep into the soul of an ethnocracy that dominates the lives of millions of Palestinians. Alex Kane recently sat down with Blumenthal for a conversation about his book to discuss the current state of Israeli society, his method of reporting and what readers will learn about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as negotiations with Iran and the Palestinians continue.
US intermarriage rivals Iran as a ‘grave’ threat to Israel — says NYT columnist
NYT publishes rightwing Israeli Shmuel Rosner, who says high rate of Jewish intermarriage in the US is undermining the Israel lobby
Reports say peace process is ‘fantasy’ and ‘worst’ since Oslo– but blame falls on Israel this time
Jackson Diehl in the Washington Post blames Netanyahu for refusing to leave East Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley. This peace process will founder with blame on Israel, it appears
Obama meets with ‘small coterie’ of Jewish leaders, after Kerry appears to criticize Netanyahu for ‘fear tactics’
Obama meets with a “small coterie” of Jewish organizational leaders re his Iran policy, including major funder Alan Solow. The Israel lobby at work.
26 Palestinian prisoners released as part of Israeli-Palestinian talks
Prisoner release In pictures: Jubilant scenes as Israel releases 26 Palestinian prisoners The Telegraph 30 Oct — A group of 21 prisoners from the West Bank left Ofer prison, near Jerusalem, shortly after 1:00 am (2300 GMT) and the other five crossed moments later into the Gaza strip, correspondents at both sites said. The West […]
Israeli Consul General frets about ‘progressive elite’ delegitimizing the Jewish state at elite Manhattan event
The Israeli Consul General of New York had a stark message last week: Israel’s name is being tarnished in the media and its reputation is threatened by delegitimization. The diplomat, Ido Aharoni, made the comments to about 50 people who gathered at the CORE Club in Manhattan. Aharoni was joined by Israel Project CEO, and former AIPAC spokesperson, Josh Block who complained of “Arabists” at the State Department, and by ‘Slate’ writer Dahlia Lithwick who shared she’s “terrified to send my kids to college” due to anti-Israel sentiment.
Lou Reed was on our side, Israel supporters say
The late great Lou Reed visited Israel often, felt comfortable there, and vouched for the country, say Israel supporters
Josh Ruebner will anatomize Obama’s Mid East failure in Columbus tomorrow night
Josh Ruebner, author of Shattered Hopes: The Failure of Obama’s Middle East Peace Process, will explain how things went wrong at OSU in Columbus tomorrow night
Lift the cruel, unfair sanctions on Iran, and you can close the nuclear dossier
The punishing sanctions on Iran keep Iranian students from studying abroad and raise prices of important medicines to extreme levels
Israeli gov’t upholds denying entry to American teacher in Ramallah
In yesterday’s New York Times, Yousef Munayyer slammed the bills in Congress to grant Israeli citizens visa waivers when they visit the U.S., and Munayyer cited Israeli discrimination against Arab-Americans at its borders– specifically, the arbitrary refusal of Israeli authorities to allow Nour Joudah, above, a dedicated young American teacher, to return to her job at the Friends School in Ramallah. There is news in Joudah’s case: the Israeli Ministry of Interior responded last week to a written “hearing” it agreed to provide her following her appeal of the denial of entry. And the Ministry upheld the denial decision, without addressing any of the lengthy legal and factual claims raised by Joudah, her lawyer reports.
Dennis Ross says US must undertake ‘new military deployments’ against Iran and support Israel if it strikes
No wonder Dennis Ross was called Israel’s lawyer when he negotiated inside Democratic administrations. He says US talks on Iran must allow Israel to take military action if it sees the need to do so
‘Variety’ misses the story on BDS
Variety magazine chose to do a piece on the BDS movement’s appeals to musicians not to perform in Israel. As a BDS supporter, I was initially excited that such a prominent, mainstream entertainment magazine would write about the movement, as it might raise the movement’s profile among readers unfamiliar with the political implications of performances in Israel. However, I was quickly disappointed when the scant research put into this article and its disparaging tone became apparent.
Why does Uri Avnery know so little about Palestinian citizens of Israel?
Uri Avnery has achieved many great things as a journalist and a peace activist. Nonetheless, it is important to challenge the many fallacious claims Avnery makes to bolster the arguments in his latest article, dismissing the growing comparisons being made between Israel and apartheid South Africa.
My first post-Snowden moment
Katie Miranda shares her first “post-Snowden” moment where she hesitates to share a personal story over Skype, not totally sure who else might be listening.
What Comes Next: We must enter a new Israeli discourse based in equality, justice and freedom
Former Speaker of the Israeli Knesset Avraham Burg writes, “So enough of the illusions. There are no longer two states between the Jordan River and the sea. We must consider how we can enter into the new Israeli discourse. It has intriguing potential. The next diplomatic formula that will replace the “two states for two peoples” will be a civilian formula.” This post is part of “What Comes Next?: A forum on the end of the two-state paradigm.”